Breaching All Boundaries
by GrrrAragorn
Summary: Slight swearing in some parts. Not completed yet. Harry is in love with Hermione, but doesn't know it. Hermione has a new boyfriend. Ron is getting into bad things, and Draco is suffering from angst.


Breaching All Boundaries  
  
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters created and owned by JK Rowling. No copyright infringements are intended.  
  
E-mail me!: grrraragorn@yahoo.com.au  
  
Chapter One  
  
Harry was sitting on his bed, looking out the window thoughtfully. Tomorrow would be the first day he saw Hermione after an extended break. She had gone with Professor Dumbledore to study an outbreak of disease among the dragon colonies. They had left 3 months ago, and just last week Harry had received word of when they would be back.  
  
"Hey, what are you doing? Are you busy? I'm so bored!" Ron came running into the room, his red hair sticking up everywhere.  
  
"What did you do Ron? You look like you've been hit by lightning!" Harry grinned, as Ron ruefully tried to smooth his hair down.  
  
"Yeah, well, we all know that only the Slytherins go for thrills like that. Anyway, we should do something!"  
  
Harry looked at Ron carefully. Something in his mannerism wasn't normal, and he had evaded the issue of whether or not he'd been struck by lightning. Then Harry shook his head. Ron wouldn't do a thing like that. It was dangerous, even if it did give a huge adrenalin rush. A lot of the students had tried it, but most realised how bad it really was.  
  
"What, you don't wanna do something? You gonna sit here and mope about Hermione instead? Pathetic," Ron was disgusted.  
  
Pathetic? It wasn't like Ron to say things like that to Harry either. Something was definitely going on here.  
  
"Ron, is something wrong? You'd tell me if you were. well, you know." Harry didn't know how to come out and say, 'are you getting kicks with the Slytherins?  
  
Ron sniggered, "No, not at all. What would I want to do with those slimy snaky creeps! Pfft, next you'll be saying, 'are you best friends with Draco Malfoy?"  
  
"Are you?"  
  
"No! This is pointless, I'm not the one with the problem, you are. I'm out of here!" Ron walked out, slamming the door behind him. Harry watched him go, frowning. He had to get to the bottom of this, but he would probably need Hermione's help. Hermione. He went back to staring out the window. Her hair, her eyes, he couldn't stop thinking about them for long. He didn't understand though, she was just a friend.  
  
  
  
"I am going to KILL the next person I see.' Draco Malfoy was fuming. He'd just received a letter from his father, telling him not to bother coming home for his birthday. And his father and mother wouldn't be coming to Hogwarts to see him. In fact, they weren't even going to send a birthday present. They would prefer it if he didn't think of it as his birthday at all. And, to top things off, his mother was pregnant again. Pregnant! He didn't need a little brother or sister. Things were fine just the way they were. Why did his bloody parents have to go and complicate things by having another kid! Stupid, stupid, stupid.  
  
"Arrrrrggggh!!!" He magicked an axe into his hand, and ran at the nearest tree.  
  
"Malfoy, settle down!" Somebody yelled out.  
  
Draco whirled, a wild look in his eye, searching for the person that had spoken. A couple of students were crossing the lawn, but they weren't looking his way. He stalked towards them, bristling with indignation. They were all Hufflepuffs, and boy did they have it coming to them.  
  
"Right. Which one of you said it?" He demanded.  
  
They all frowned at him, and the tallest one there, said "What? Said what?"  
  
"You know full well what. Now, who said it, or do I have to teach ALL of you a lesson." He hefted the axe menacingly.  
  
They stared incredulously. "Malfoy, you're losing it! None of us said anything!"  
  
"I AM NOT LOSING IT!" Draco shouted, raising the axe above his head. All of a sudden he could not move at all. The Hufflepuffs stared at him in amazement, then ran off, without looking back.  
  
Slowly, Harry Potter walked into Draco's field of vision.  
  
"You! You put this spell on me! Take it off NOW! I mean it Potter, if you don't remove this now, when you finally do, you'll be the first one Mr Axe here meets."  
  
"Mr Axe? Cute. What's the problem Draco? Nothing they could have said would have deserved being chopped into pieces." Harry frowned.  
  
"You wouldn't understand Potter. And yes, they do deserve to be chopped up into pieces. Such tiny, tiny pieces. So tiny, that even Dumbledore wouldn't be able to put them back together again. Now, let me go, or I'll get you first." Draco was talking quite slowly, and very clearly.  
  
"Try me Malfoy. I might understand more than you think."  
  
"Why would you even care? There is no point to this conversation. Just let me go already!"  
  
"Why won't you tell me?"  
  
"I don't trust you! You filthy Griffindor, you of all people should know that you would be the last person I would EVER confide in! LET ME GO!" Draco's voice had risen to a shout, and Harry winced.  
  
"Come on. I'm the only one here, and I am not letting you go until you tell me."  
  
"If you MUST know, I am having a few problems with the folks. That is all I will tell you Potter, now let me go."  
  
"We all have issues, Malfoy. The only difference between yourself and the rest of us, is we actually RESIST the urge to pick up an axe and go homicidal. Get it!" Harry looked disgusted, and released the spell on Draco, but not before taking the axe away.  
  
"You have no idea what you're talking about Potter." He sneered, and, whipping his cloak around him tightly, stalked off towards the dormitories.  
  
"Yeah, that's right. I have no idea what it's like having family problems." Harry muttered to himself. He looked at the sun, almost at noon, and nearly swore. Hermione would be here soon, and he hadn't picked up the present from his room yet. He headed in the direction Draco had taken at a run.  
  
  
  
"Harry!"  
  
"Hermione!"  
  
A big grin lit up Hermione's face, and Harry ran to embrace her.  
  
"How was the trip! Did you have heaps of fun! Tell me all about it." The words came tumbling out of his mouth, tripping over each other.  
  
"Settle down Harry. You knew I'd be back. I had so much fun, I think that when I've finished here at Hogwarts, I'm going to go back and spend a few years there. It's such a learning experience!" She smiled, rapt.  
  
"That's fantastic! Oh, I nearly forgot. Here this is for you." Harry handed her the very badly wrapped gift.  
  
"Harry, you shouldn't have." Hurriedly, she unwrapped it. Inside was a delicate golden necklace with a small emerald in it.  
  
"Oh, Harry, it's beautiful!"  
  
"It's actually a protection charm. Since I seem to always be getting you into potentially fatal situations, I thought it was the least I could do." He look down, shyly.  
  
Hermione threw her arms around his neck. "Thank you so much, it means a lot to me." She blinked tears out of her eyes.  
  
"Hey, Hermione, are you going to introduce us?" A tall, dark boy was walking up. He was about 2 years older than Harry and Hermione, and Harry supposed he would be good looking to a girl. He had piercing blue eyes, and his dark hair was casually tousled. His mouth - wait a minute, why am I thinking about his mouth, Harry wondered. Oh well. His mouth looked soft, almost petulant. Harry supposed girls would like that too. His teeth were very white and even. He wasn't even fat! He actually had a very good build with well developed muscles and - no, Harry decided he'd stop there.  
  
Anyway, the boy was walking towards them with an amused smile on his face. When he reached Hermione, he casually draped his arm around her shoulders, and smiled lazily at Harry.  
  
"Don't tell me, let me guess. You're Harry Potter. Hermione talks about you a lot, I thought you were a couple until, well, until it became rather obvious that you weren't." Hermione blushed at that. "Anyway, my name is Brad." He held out a hand for Harry to shake.  
  
"Brad. Hello. Yes, I am Harry Potter. Very pleased to meet you." It was typical. Just when he'd made up his mind that he was going to spend a lot more time with Ron and Hermione, she brings along a guy who would take up too much of her time. Harry was beginning to feel the urge to pick up an axe and go homicidal.  
  
"So, I guess we'll get to know each other pretty well. Hermione said you and your roommate wouldn't mind me bunking in with you until other arrangements can be made." The way Brad smiled, and Hermione blushed, left no doubt in Harry's mind as to exactly what the arrangements would be.  
  
"No, of course not, I don't mind at all. Hermione knows me too well I guess. If you would excuse me though, I just remembered that I'd told. I have to go do something. Sorry." Harry ran off.  
  
"I wonder what his problem is?" Hermione looked puzzled. Brad laughed, knowing full well what Harry's problem was, and picked Hermione up and spun her around.  
  
"I don't think it really matters babe. What matters is I am here, at Hogwarts, and it's all thanks to you." He kissed her quite thoroughly, before placing her back on the ground. She stumbled a little, and laughed.  
  
  
  
"Bloody Potter. Always sticking his bloody nose in where it doesn't bloody belong. What the bloody heck -" Draco stopped abruptly as Ron Weasley ran around the corner.  
  
"Malfoy! Ummm, see ya!" He spluttered and kept running.  
  
"Hey, Weasley!" Ron stopped.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I've heard you've been doing some things that aren't necessarily good for you."  
  
"Oh yeah?" Ron said cautiously. "Like what?"  
  
"Like, oh, I don't know. Something to do with lightning maybe?" Draco smirked. "What, do you think that I don't know what my Slytherin pals get up to? Idiot." Draco shook his head and started to walk off.  
  
"Malfoy, you won't tell Harry will you?"  
  
Draco turned around. "You mean he doesn't know? I think he probably has a right to."  
  
"Please, Malfoy, I'll do anything!" Ron pleaded.  
  
"Anything?"  
  
"Yes, yes, anything!"  
  
"Meet me in the library, midnight tonight. Tell no one." A plan was beginning to formulate in Draco's mind.  
  
"Ok, I'm there. Thanks Draco!"  
  
"No problem. Now piss off!"  
  
Ron ran off. Draco chuckled, and started walking, feeling much better about life. 


End file.
